How Beer Is Made

Beer is made in a brew house. The traditional brew house consists of a gristmill, a mash tun (a large vessel where the grist and hot water are combined to make a porridge, or mash), a copper (a large boiler, traditionally made of copper because of its ability to conduct heat, in which the liquid, or wort, from the mash tun is flavored with hops), and a fermenter (a large vessel in which the first fermentation takes place), fermenting tanks (used if the brew is to be aged or lagered), conditioning tanks (vessels that contain the fermented and carbonated brew), and a kegging or bottling line—unless, as in a brewpub, the beer is drawn to the tap directly from the conditioning tanks.